UK businesses impeded by mobile 'not-spots', BCC reveals

12 May 2017

Businesses across the UK are being impeded by mobile coverage ‘not-spots’, according to a survey carried out by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

The BCC surveyed over 1,400 businesses and discovered that 70% of firms often experience mobile coverage ‘not-spots’. Many have been impeded by a complete lack of mobile coverage, and some experience ‘partial not-spots’, in which coverage is available from a handful of networks, but not all.

Those businesses situated in rural areas were found to be more likely to experience ‘not-spots’ as opposed to those within inner city locations. 54% of businesses in rural areas and 29% of firms in cities reported that they have unreliable mobile internet connections.

Commenting on the findings, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the BCC, said: ‘All across the country businesspeople complain about patchy mobile coverage and unreliable internet connections in their local areas.

‘Rural businesses are particularly affected by poor mobile coverage and connectivity, but our research shows that ‘not-spots’ are prevalent across the UK.

‘Some of the solutions are obvious. Relaxing planning laws to allow for taller masts would be a quick win for the next government to help improve mobile coverage.’